Water Heater Repair in Owensboro, KY
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Groundwater this cold makes your water heater work harder
Winter nights in Daviess County average 28°F from December through February, and that cold soaks into the ground and the water main feeding your house. Your water heater has to pull that water up to temperature every time the tank refills, and it does that for seven months of the year. The heating element or the burner runs longer to make up the difference, and that extra work is what wears out an element or fouls a gas valve before its time.
Power loss adds to it. Nearly a quarter of Kentucky households lost power for 24 hours or more last year, and the county has seen 95 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Most electric water heaters come back on by themselves once power returns, but if yours does not, or if the water is lukewarm instead of hot after an outage, that is worth a look.
- 28°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 7 months
- October through April, the months homes here need heat
- 24%
- of Kentucky households lost power for a day or more in 2024, and a heater with an electric element or electric ignition stops without it
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new water heater would cut about $70 a year off hot water for a typical Kentucky home.
Estimates for a typical Kentucky home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and Kentucky fuel prices. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when an element, thermostat or gas valve has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the tank itself is leaking.
- Why is my water heater leaking from the bottom?
- Most often the tank itself has rusted through and is leaking from the inside out. Water heaters corrode from the inside as sediment settles at the bottom and eats away at the steel, and once that happens the tank can't be patched or sealed. It could also be a loose drain valve or a fitting, which a contractor can check before assuming the tank is done. If the leak is coming from the tank body, replacement is the only fix.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- The thermocouple is the usual cause. It's the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the flame is lit, and once it wears out or drifts out of position it shuts the gas off even though the pilot is burning. A dirty pilot orifice or a draft in the flue can cause the same thing. A standing pilot doesn't use electricity, so a power outage isn't the issue here. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it if it's reading wrong.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most tankless problems are repairs, not replacements. The heat exchanger, the igniter, and the flow sensor are the parts that fail most, and each can be replaced on its own. Mineral buildup inside the heat exchanger is common too, especially where water is hard, and that's cleared with a descaling flush rather than a new unit. A contractor can pull the error code the unit is showing and tell you which part is at fault.